


Eye matter

by Himeneka, peppymint



Category: Naruto
Genre: Founders Era, Gen, Warring States Period (Naruto)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-23
Updated: 2019-03-27
Packaged: 2019-06-15 00:45:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,255
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15401226
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Himeneka/pseuds/Himeneka, https://archiveofourown.org/users/peppymint/pseuds/peppymint
Summary: What now? (continuation of "Children of War", by peppymint).





	1. Children of war

**Author's Note:**

  * For [peppymint](https://archiveofourown.org/users/peppymint/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Children of War](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14738936) by [peppymint](https://archiveofourown.org/users/peppymint/pseuds/peppymint). 

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Tobirama is blind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter written by peppymint, reproduced here with their permission.

Madara stormed back into the compound well ahead of his companions, causing his brother to frown.

“Did negotiations not go well?” Izuna asked sheathing his sword. While he himself did not dream of peace the way he knew his brother did, the younger did acknowledge it was necessary. He also knew they would get no better chance than this. Truly, it had been a good day when he and his patrol had discovered an injured, exhausted Senju Tobirama near the border. Which is not to say it had been an easy fight, especially given they had been trying to take the other alive.

The wild haired man just hissed, sounding like nothing so much as an aggravated dragon. “Yes and no,” Madara answered. “I just had the most interesting conversation with Hashirama regarding his brother.” Gloved fingers tapped against his armor in agitation as the ninja frowned. “And I must say it casts Tobirama’s actions or lack thereof into a whole new light.”

Izuna frowned, following his brother towards the cells where their hostage was being kept. It was true. While he had not expected Tobirama to throw a fit, the other had been unusually quiet. As far as he knew, his rival had not even attempted to escape.

“Leave us,” Madara snarled, causing the guards to scatter. He would know the truth of this once and for all. It could not be true, he thought. It just couldn’t. The Uchiha flung open the door, sharingan red eyes immediately focusing on Tobirama.

The white-haired man was in his usual position, sitting cross legged with his manacled hands on his lap. The chakra restraining seals clear to see, engraved as they were on the metal. Tobirama did not flinch as strong fingers grabbed his chin, though it was a near thing. Eyes snapping shut on instinct, causing Madara to snarl again.

“Look at me Tobirama,” the Uchiha ordered. After a moment he gave the other a shake. “I said look at me.” He paused. “Or are you going to claim your brother lied?”

Crimson eyes flew open. “He told . . .” Tobirama snapped his mouth shut, swallowing his words.  
But it was too late. One good look was all Madara needed. Almost gently, he released the other before stepping back. “Tell me Tobirama,” he asked softly, voice like a dagger just waiting to be unsheathed. “How many fingers am I holding up?”

Silence.

Izuna’s own eyes went wide. Surely Madara didn’t mean; but judging by the look on his rival’s face, it was true. Brilliant, strong Tobirama; his equal in all things. “You’re blind,” he whispered. A moment later the younger Uchiha looked down at the Senju’s bound hands and cursed.

“You fool,” Madara snarled. He wasn’t sure who he was angrier at, himself or Tobirama. The younger man was supposed to be their hostage. Hostages did not get tortured, and sensory deprivation was torture. All alone in the dark, cut off from everything. “Why didn’t you say something?” Of course, the answer to that was also obvious. He threw his hands in the air in exasperation. “The kami save me from Senju pride.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Tobirama is cold.

Their encounters on the battlefield had not prepared Tobirama to the idea that Izuna could turn into a chatterbox when in the right mood. It felt so very different than the usual cool demeanor of the Uchiha. Tobirama almost wanted the silence back. Almost.

“...can’t understand is how did they even let you try, I mean, they must have been just humouring you, they couldn’t have guessed you would pull it off, that’s…”

The brothers had agreed that just taking the manacles off was out of question, and despite how he hated the things, Tobirama was reluctantly grateful not to be underestimated now that they knew. He had fought all his life for his skills, and he would have resented being dismissed as a threat just on account of his blindness. They had thought about altering the chakra-seals to let him have just enough for sensing, but it would have been a delicate undertaking, and fuinjutsu wasn’t really an Uchiha’s specialty. 

“...might be the water, yeah, but how? Does it still work in the mist? And underwater? How do you…”

Madara had left to meet the Uchiha elders and apparently speed at least the first stage of the peace negotiations, so Tobirama counted that as a win in his brother’s name, but Izuna had stayed. They apparently realized how unsettling the silence could be when all alone in that cold cell, and Tobirama choose to take Izuna’s presence as compassion rather than pity. 

“...a variation of chakra-sensing? Do the rocks feel different if they have different compositions? Hey, how does a body being alive or dead register? Do…”

Tobirama wanted to tell Izuna to shut up, but was afraid he would. So he said nothing, and let the words disappear into background noise. It’s not as if he had no experience in tuning out an overly noisy brother. 

Despite his lack of protest, Izuna’s word trailed into silence after a while, and Tobirama forced himself not to tense at the idea of the Uchiha leaving. But Izuna’s voice was unusually serious as he asked, more quietly, “Is there anything you need?”

Before Tobirama could lift his bound hands in silent sarcasm, the Uchiha hasted to add “Besides the obvious,” and even without seeing it, the roll of his eyes could be heard in his very voice. 

Tobirama tried to give the question some thoughts. He was neither starved nor unduly exposed, his cell was bare as any cell and he didn’t care for more anyway. But…

“Could I have my fur back?” he finally asked. 

They had taken and replaced all his clothes as a common precaution ― easier than to search them and risk missing some hidden weapon. But the request might be innocuous enough to be granted. 

“I’ll see where it’s been put”.

Before he could think to protest, Izuna was gone, but the silence was lighter to carry for knowing the Uchiha would be back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dedicated to my not quite blind albino roomie, who's very unlikely to every read this ^^.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Izuna is persistent.

Izuna always tried to give his enemies their due respect, as underestimating one would be fatal on the battlefield. So he had known that Tobirama was one of the best shinobi alive. But it was embarrassing to realize that even that estimation did not make the man justice. What monster would he have been, if not for his blindness? He might not rival their brothers in sheer power, but he was so much better at using what he had…

He found the fur easily enough, among the detached pieces of Tobirama’s armor, on top of the rest of his neatly folded clothes. As far as the Uchiha knew until now, they had tried to treat Tobirama reasonably well by prisoner’s standards. All his belongings were careful kept, waiting for an agreement between the Senju and Uchiha to be returned to their owner. 

Briefly concerned, Izuna checked the fur for hidden weapons, pouches or seals, but his Sharingan could see nothing, so he deemed the risk negligible enough. The piece was larger than he had believed initially, most of it was obviously covered by the armor when they met in battle. 

When he came back in the cell, Tobirama hadn’t moved but for his head, which was tracking him with eerie accuracy, considering. He must have had incredible hearing. 

“There.” Izuna carefully put the fur into the Senju’s waiting hands, wondering if the cell was really cold or if the man was more sensitive to it. 

Tobirama couldn’t put it fully on, not with bound hands. So he wrapped it around his shoulders, his minute relaxation being the only movement to betray his relief. Seeing him press the side of his face into the fur to inhale discreetly, the Uchiha suddenly understood that the warmth of the garment was beside the point ― Tobirama had been wanting the familiarity of the feel and smell of it. With a twinge of renewed guilt at the idea of the involuntary sensory deprivation they had inflicted, Izuna couldn’t help but ask again, “Why didn’t you say something? You must have known we never intended to isolate you so.”

Tobirama turned his sightless eyes toward him with a very good approximation of a glare. 

“Would you have handed out an obvious weakness to the Senju if our positions were reversed?”

Izuna stared. 

“A weakness? Declaring yourself immune to our greatest weapon?”

Tobirama lifted his eyebrows in surprise. 

“Blindness is a handicap,” he said bluntly. “Avoiding your Sharingan is easier than learning to fight without sight.”

Izuna silently agreed, but it only underscored the scope of Tobirama’s achievement. Before he could acknowledge that there had been more than pride in the Senju’s choice, though, Tobirama continued. 

“And you’re not the Senju’s only enemy. Those negotiations are all my brother has dreamed for years, but if they happened to fall through half-way, you might have given away ― or sold, more likely ― this weakness of mine to another clan, less reliant on their eyes.” 

The tone was snide, but Izuna had to concede the point ― again. He couldn’t even protest about the idea of selling Tobirama’s secret. They were mercenary, after all. But the phrasing might also imply that Tobirama may have renounced to evade, not because he couldn’t, but because he wouldn’t endanger Hashirama’s efforts. At least once he had assessed the Uchiha and realized they intended to use him as leverage for a peace his brother had wanted anyway. Their terms may be less favorable than the Senju might have forced, but it was an acceptable price for the opening of negotiations. 

It forced again Izuna to re-evaluate the man. He had thought Tobirama opposed to any ceasefire, his position mirroring Izuna himself, who mistrusted the Senju on principle. There was too bloody a history between the clans to just make nice and be friends overnight ― notwithstanding their brothers’ example. But Tobirama had chosen to mirror Izuna’s willingness to seize an opportunity for his brother’s peace, too.

Izuna had thought he was taking the higher road when he nobly refrained from killing Tobirama to use him for peace rather than take the opportunity to eliminate such a dangerous opponent. He was a bit miffed to be matched, if the man really was cooperating, but he would take it. Maybe he was reading too much in Tobirama’s words, after all. 

Since Tobirama was more talkative, he might try again to get something, after all. No one had accused Izuna of renouncing easily. 

“So, how does it work, that sensing thing?”

He grinned at the Senju’s exasperated face when he came back to that fruitless topic, but before he could go on as before, Madara came back.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Madara is manipulative.

“That might actually be relevant to our negotiations.”

 

Madara had heard Izuna’s last question, and it tied neatly into his preoccupations. The Elders thought him too hasty, they wanted decorum and traditions, guarantees and promises, and it was driving Madara up the wall to have to take more time. In desperation, he had suggested an exchange of hostages, and the Elders had fell for it, agreeing on the condition that Madara found a volunteer. He could see the sneer on some of their faces, their haughty conviction that he would find none willing and understand the depth of the Uchiha’s mistrust toward the Senju. Honestly, it’s as if they never met him.  _ Watch me. _

 

Tobirama had cocked his head, unsurprised, when Madara had gotten into the cell, and asked mildly, “How so?”

 

“Whatever your method of sensing, do you think it is teachable?”

 

Tobirama looked taken aback. His answer was uncharacteristically hesitant. “...I’m not sure.” He added defensively, “How would that be relevant anyway?”

 

Madara noted with an internal sigh that Tobirama didn’t question why a clan so famed for their eyes might want to learn to fight without. The too-perceptive Senju might have already guessed some of the nasty side-effects of Sharingan overuse.

 

“The negotiations have been stalling lately. I think that’s part of the reason why Hashirama told me about you. Our Elders are slowing things down. I’ve strong-armed them into giving me a chance, provided I can find an Uchiha willing to play hostage for your clan.”

 

Izuna looked wary, but Madara ignored him. As if he would let his little brother anywhere near the Senju without some form of peace agreement.

 

“We’ve been at war for decades, Senju. Nearly a century of blood since the last serious cease-fire. I won’t find such a man without incentive, especially since it would weaken our current position, with you in our hands and none of us in theirs. But if you can teach how you can see, I promise you I’ll find one.”

 

“I won’t teach any Uchiha before a peace treaty has been signed,” warned Tobirama. 

 

“Even if your ability to teach might make the difference between having this damn treaty now or after one more round of corpses?” snapped Madara. 

 

Madara watched Tobirama hoover on the verge of denial, and then give up with a smug look. 

 

“I would need access to my chakra to be able to teach.”

 

Madara grunted. “I’ll see what can be done.” It would be a pain to arrange. For a moment, he almost wanted to just bypass his Elders and bet on secrecy rather than ask for permission, but given the student he had in mind, it likely wouldn’t work for long. 

 

Tobirama looked troubled, and then he finally nodded agreement. “If you have a willing student, then, I’ll try.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This thing has been sitting on my drive for too long already -_-


End file.
